Keys are a very powerful and very old magical tool and symbol. They are often used in association magic as a means to both unlock hidden secrets and keep things hidden. Long ago, they were also used to trap and confine various beings, human and otherwise, though that has fallen out of favor in modern times (though I’m sure there’s someone out there still doing it).
Personally, I love keys. They always speak to me of treasures – not necessarily gold and rubies, but things that have special meaning in someone’s heart, carry memories, and represent precious moments in time. Antique keys are especially fascinating as they carry with them, as all objects do, a memory of where they have been and what they have done.
Keys are made from durable metals, which makes them especially good for carrying and transmitting energy. Just as the metal is slowly worn, so, too, are the energies associated with the key slowly worn and, as such, can stay with the key through several lifetimes. By their very nature, keys are privy to more vulnerable moments in people’s lives.
In modern times, we use keys for just about everything: our homes, our cars, even our hard drives (do you guys remember that at all?), Keys don’t have to be literal keys, either, but can also be symbolic, such as passwords, medallions, or sigils.
In many varieties of witchcraft, medallions and traditional keys are used to mark the degree, or level, of the witch bearing them and the medallion is often seen as a tool that unlocks a certain set of mysteries for the witch (who is often tied to the medallion energetically) to explore in their practice.
Also common are for keys to be dedicated to specific purposes in keeping things hidden. In a lot of kitchen magic and rootwork, keys are used to keep things safe and hidden. The key is energetically bound to a symbol of what is to be kept safe or the actual object, and then the symbol or object is hidden. As long as the key is kept in a safe place and undamaged and the energetic bond maintained, the hidden object shall be invisible to the casual seeker.
To bind a key to a specific object is a relatively simple process and requires little in the way of ritual. Some traditions instruct you to place the key and the object or representative of the object in a jar and leave it in the moonlight for the three days of the full moon. This moon energy bath contained in the jar makes the objects carry the same energetic signature or vibration. This is best done before any other magical or energetic workings are done on the object or the key, as the moonlight also has an energetic cleansing effect.
Another method is to dedicate the key the same way you would dedicate any other object to a deity or purpose. Taking the key into sacred space and invoking the appropriate spirits, through chanting or invocation, you announce the key’s purpose and your intent for it while channeling the sacred energy you’ve gathered into the key. It may also be anointed with herbs, waters, minerals, oils, incense, etc. to strengthen it’s purpose, such as using sage on a key that is intended to keep your household safe.
Being such a large part of our everyday lives, at the very least you should take some time to meditate or journey on the role keys play in your life as well as what keys you carry with you and which ones no longer serve their purpose.
